Call: Resource-efficient
and profitable industrial crops on marginal land

Description of
programme"Food Security, Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry, Marine, Maritime and Inland Water Research and the Bioeconomy"

This Programme aims to promote the transition towards an optimal and renewable use of biological resources and towards
sustainable primary production and processing systems. These systems will need to produce more food, fibre and other bio-based
products with minimised inputs, environmental impact and greenhouse gas emissions, and with enhanced ecosystem services, zero
waste and adequate societal value.

Description of call"Rural Renaissance
- fostering innovation and business opportunities"

The call will support a 'rural renaissance' by raising the
natural, social, cultural and economic potential of rural areas and fostering policy coherence. It will aim to boost economic
development, environmental services and entrepreneurial innovation, in particular in SMEs, in

rural and coastal areas.
This will be achieved by building on diversification and modernisation strategies and capitalising on local assets, including
human, natural and cultural capital. The call is structured around three main areas:

new approaches towards
policies and governance: activities will be aimed at improving policies and governance at various geographic scales to foster
sustainable growth in rural areas. They will cover aspects such as territorial linkages and coherent policy approaches for
the management and use of natural resources and for the provision of ecosystem services and public goods;

new value
chains and business models: to foster sustainable growth in rural areas, new services, products and value chains will be developed
that take advantage of technological and non-technological innovations and the scope for greater cross-sectoral synergies
will be explored; and

innovation and skills development: activities directed at knowledge and innovation systems,
education and training, advisory services and entrepreneurial skills will enhance rural communities' capacity to mobilise
new knowledge and technologies for the development of their activities. In addition, activities will aim to foster the delivery
of policies imp acting innovation and will contribute to the implementation of the European Innovation Partnership 'Agricultural
Productivity and Sustainability'.

Networking
European farms to boost thematic knowledge exchanges and close the innovation gap

Building a future science and education
system fit to deliver to practice

Advisors' roles in the functioning of AKIS and advisory policies boosting innovation
in sustainable agriculture

The benefits of working with others – fostering social capital in the farming sector

Optimising
interactive innovation project approaches and the delivery of EU policies to speed up innovation in rural areas

In
particular, action in this area will contribute to the objectives of European Structural and Investment funds, including Rural
Development under the Common Agricultural Policy, the Innovation Union, recent developments on rural-urban partnerships and
energy and climate policies.

Description of call"Resource-efficient and profitable industrial crops on marginal land"

Industrial
crops can contribute to the diversification of farmers' income and to the supply of renewable raw materials for industrial
applications fostering the bio-based economy and climate-change mitigation. To avoid land-use competition with food, it is
important to promote the development of resource-efficient varieties that can grow on marginal land.

Proposals
should provide an up-to-date database of existing resource-efficient industrial crops (species and varieties) with their characteristics,
needs, performance and end-use applications; should test, validate and disseminate this tool with the involvement
of end-users; should map marginal land in Europe that is most suitable for industrial crops; should analyse
best-practice cases of industrial crop cultivation and address technical, social, cultural, environmental and economic barriers
to and drivers of the use of marginal land for industrial cropping. Proposals should produce policy recommendations and best-practices
guides to promote the appropriate sourcing of renewable materials from marginal land at local/regional level.

At
least three legal entities. Each of the three must be established in a different EU Member State or Horizon 2020 associated
country. All three legal entities must be independent of each other.

Recurring Call

No

Financial details

The Commission considers that proposals requesting
a contribution from the EU of up to 6 million € would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless,
this does not preclude the submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts. Funding rate: 100%